The Year My Parents Went On Vacation

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All Rise...

Judge Clark Douglas hopes to come of age against a stormy political backdrop someday.

The Charge

Sure to become a family favorite!

Opening Statement

"Are they ever going to come back?"

Facts of the Case

The Year My Parents Went on Vacation tells the story of a young boy
named Mauro (Michael Joelsas, Opera do Mallandro) living in Brazil during
the 1970s. Like any young man living in Brazil at the time, Mauro is enamored
with soccer. Pele and the Brazilian team seem like strong candidates to win the
world cup, and Mauro makes soccer his obsession. He plays table soccer with
plastic chips, plays real soccer when he goes outside, and obsessively collects
soccer trading cards. As exciting as things are in the world of sports in 1970
Brazil, it is a turbulent time politically. Mauro's parents urgently need to get
out of the country for a while, and they tell Mauro that they are going "on
vacation."

Mauro is told to stay with his grandfather until his parents return.
Unfortunately, Mauro's grandfather passed away just moments before the boy
arrived. An old Jewish man named Shlomo (Germano Haiut, Clandestina
Felicidade) begrudgingly agrees to look after Mauro for a while, and slowly
but surely begins to like him. Meanwhile, Mauro starts to develop relationships
with some of the local kids, most notably an energetic young lady named Hanna
(Daniela Piepszyk). The Year My Parents Went on Vacation gently examines
this crucial part of Mauro's life and warmly presents this innocent
coming-of-age tale set against a rough historical backdrop.

The Evidence

I have very mixed feelings about this film. It's the sort of thing I usually
like, a gentle and honest story about real human beings. Director Cao Hamburger
tells this story without blatant sentiment, remaining absolutely true to reality
while adding a generous dose of compassion. However, I found The Year My
Parents Went on Vacation just a little bit tiresome. There was not a single
moment in this movie that surprised me in the least, not a single revelation
that we haven't seen handled better elsewhere. As soon as I learned that this
young boy in this politically charged part of the world was a fun-loving soccer
fan, I knew that he would be depressed and deflated by the end. As soon as I was
told that the old man who "adopted" Mauro hated the boy, I knew that
the two characters would be best friends by the film's conclusion. As for the
part of the story involving Mauro's parents…I'm not sure that telling this
story from Mauro's perspective was a good idea. Yes, we know that his parents
haven't really gone "on vacation"…yet the film expects us to act
surprised when Mauro discovers this.

Indulge me for just a moment, and I'll tell you a true story. When I was a
young boy, I had a dog, a black lab named Little Bear. He was kind of wild and
crazy, but he was a wonderful dog. My parents didn't feel the same way. One day
I noticed that Little Bear was missing. My parents told me he had gone to live
on a farm where there was plenty of space to run around. I bought it. Later, I
had another dog, a German Shepherd/Collie mix named Ginger. Sweetest dog in the
world, without a doubt. However, she liked to find dead animals and leave them
on the doorstep as "presents." My parents weren't crazy about this.
Again, I was told that the dog had gone to live on a farm where there was plenty
of space to run around.

If I had seen The Year My Parents Went on Vacation as a young kid, I
would have found the movie rather insightful. "They didn't REALLY go on a
vacation," I would have marveled. Today, being a guy who has had two
beloved pets go away "to live on a farm," I don't find this film
particularly interesting. The movie is intended as a family film of sorts, and I
imagine that younger viewers may actually appreciate it most (assuming they can
keep up with the subtitles). Older viewers who know what is going on will
sympathize with the kid, but there simply isn't much substance or originality
here. The characters might as well be named Heidi and Grandfather. I really do
feel like I'm being a bit harsh right now, because this movie doesn't have a
mean bone in its body. Kindness goes a pretty long way, but it needs some
interesting characters and a solid story to help carry the load.

The DVD transfer is decent, with a low-key and slightly breezy mix of colors
presented with pleasing clarity. Sound is fine, with dialogue, music, and sound
effects all trying to not to make too much noise. DVD extras include a 10-minute
featurette on the making of the film, and 15 minutes of additional interviews.
You only need to watch one or the other, as they both cover near-identical
material. There are also some bloopers, deleted scenes, and a couple of
trailers.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

The movie does successfully give us a feeling of what it might have been like
to live in Brazil during the early 1970s. People are nervously looking over
their shoulders and turning to soccer as often as possible to help them forget
about their troubles. The set design is quite effective and immersive, and the
understated score nicely accentuates everything without overselling it.

Though most of the film is built around a formulaic story, there are
occasional bursts of inspiration that rank as remarkable high points. There is
one scene in which Mauro goes to a soccer game and sees a black man for the
first time in his life (who happens to be a very effective goalie). Mauro
marvels at this man's athletic skill, and after the game declares that he wants
to be "a black man who can fly" when he grows up. It's a genuinely
unexpected and candid touch that the film desperately needs more of. That
particular scene is also matched by every scene featuring young Hanna, played to
perfection by newcomer Daniela Piepszyk. I would have loved to see a movie about
this resourceful and fascinating character, who secretly makes a substantial
income by helping excitable young boys get a peek at women in the clothing store
dressing room. Piepszyk has never been in another film, but she simply commands
the screen whenever she appears.

Closing Statement

The Year My Parents Went on Vacation is the sort of film that has the
potential to please a pretty broad audience. It's a sweet, cutesy story with
serious elements but never asks us to actually think about them, giving the
viewer the feeling they've seen an important film without making a serious
intellectual investment. There I go being mean again. The film is nice and
well-intentioned, yes. It is also most assuredly nowhere near the level of many
similar coming-of-age films such as The
400 Blows.

The Verdict

Guilty, though sentencing will be greatly reduced due to the defendant's good
behavior.